Successful implementation does not equal full adoption. My point is simply this – being ready to deploy any manner of change is not the same as being at a state of readiness to implement effectively and ensure sustainable adoption across the user population. Both of those examples from my own experiences flash back when I think about the prospects of integrating EPS in any organization.
Tag: performance support
After drinking the performance consulting Kool-Aid it struck me that the L&D focus was incomplete…and it still is…despite myriad Training innovations like MOOCs, micro-learning, mobile learning, virtual learning, and any other exotic blend you can name. No matter how we dressed it up, no matter how much lipstick, it was still Training. The myth continues to live on.
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When Are MOOCs Not MOOCs?
This post this likely to twist a knot in a few knickers, but hey…it’s what I seem to do these days, so buckle up…this might rip you right out of your training paradigm. Traditionally, a MOOC, in academic circles, is known as a Massive Open Online Course…and I have no problem with that. Where I get torqued down tight is when corporate Training tries to emulate an academic MOOC with corporate learning content. When that happens, corporate L&D potentially misses the boat.
Many organizations are locked into long-held beliefs that training is the default solution to overcoming performance challenges. While training can certainly contribute to closing performance gaps, sadly, the only outcome that can be consistently proven is the creation of potential. Is potential enough?
Training tactics are slowly changing. Events are shrinking in size. MOOCs are unhooking linearity as a design concept. Learning is being “bursted” and “microed” in more granular chunks. More video is being embedded. Things are getting more social and collaborative, but the “T” word still seems to be central to the mission. We are still Training. Knowledge retention is still the enemy.
We all experience hair on fire moments every single day and our ability to execute a quick action like Stop, Drop & Roll effectively and efficiently translates into effective loss prevention; saved accounts; business liability averted; employee churn prevented; redundant effort and rework minimized, competitive sales closed, material waste minimized…and…and…and. None of these tangible business impacts manifest during Training, and yet we continue to posture Training as the primary driver behind the business outcomes we seek.
EPS readiness has more moving parts than simply building a few job aids and calling it good. In fact, to accurately assess readiness, I believe there are six major buckets of attributes and capabilities that should be considered. I developed an EPS Readiness Assessment a couple years ago that holistically covers the entire ecosystem where a sustainable EPS discipline can be integrated.
…but why launch into an 8-to-16 week design and development cycle for an hour of e-learning when the discovery evidence is staring you in the face screaming for a performance support [PS] job aid needed at the point of work? Disruptive? Yup! Agile? You’d better believe it.
…and I tend to believe that the “environment” defining each organizations’ learning and performance ecosystem is unique. Attempting to put learning and performance support into specific sized boxes is an unnecessary complication. For this camper, the objective is clearly one of driving performance…versus adhering to concept percentages.
Just-in-time is important and becoming more so, but is the just-in-time need we are trying to address with mobile technology based upon pushing Training content to an already overloaded workforce? Is it really? That’s just old school training methods pumped through a really cool new technology…and we’ve been down this road before.